The South Dakota State women's
basketball team led wire to wire, defeating in-state rival South Dakota, 72-60,
Sunday afternoon at Frost Arena as part of the South Dakota Showdown Series
presented by South Dakota Corn.

In winning their fifth consecutive game, the
Jackrabbits improved to 11-5 overall and took over sole possession of first
place in The Summit League with a 3-0 record. The win also was No. 301 in head
coach Aaron Johnston's career, tying him with Nancy Neiber (301-140 record in
16 seasons from 1984-2000) for most victories in program history.

USD fell to 7-9 overall, 2-1 in league play.

The Jackrabbits took a 3-0 lead on the opening
possession of the game as Gabby Boever sank a three-pointer from the left wing.
SDSU led 10-2 after a Boever layup at the 16:43 mark before the Coyotes got
back to within five, 12-7, two minutes later on a three-pointer by Tempestt
Wilson.

SDSU methodically continued to build its lead,
hitting double figures at 28-17 on two Megan Waytashek free throws with 4:25 to
play.

Wilson kept the Coyotes from falling farther
behind, scoring 11 of her team-high 19 points in the first half as the two
squads traded baskets the remainder of the half. SDSU led 36-25 at
intermission.

After USD trimmed the deficit to eight, 41-33,
three and a half minutes into the second half, the Jackrabbits countered with a
7-0 spurt to build their largest lead of the game. Ashley Eide, who scored a
game-high 22 points, started the run with a basket, followed by a three-pointer
from the top of the key by Hannah Strop and a basket in the paint by Katie
Lingle.

The Coyotes got back to within eight on three
occasions in the final seven minutes, but SDSU answered the run each time.
Waytashek punctuated her 15-point afternoon with a layup and three-pointer in
the closing minutes and Eide iced the game with four free throws down the
stretch.

The Jackrabbits effectively used the free throw
line to their advantage, ending the day 20-of-25 at the stripe, 80 percent.
From the field, SDSU made 24-of-50 attempts, 48 percent, but was only 4-of-18
on three-point attempts.

USD, which also received 15 points from Nicole
Seekamp and 14 from Polly Harrington, ended the afternoon 23-of-53 from the
field, 43.4 percent. The Coyotes were only 1-of-9 from three-point range and
converted 13-of-18 free throw attempts, 72.2 percent.

Rebounding was nearly even, with USD holding a
31-29 advantage. Wilson led all players with seven rebounds for the Coyotes,
while Leah Dietel and Waytashek paced SDSU with six boards each.

The Jackrabbits are slated to play their first
Summit League road game of the season Thursday at Oakland. Tipoff is set for
6:30 p.m. Eastern Time (5:30 p.m. Central) in Rochester, Mich.

NOTES: SDSU leads the all-time series, 49-22 ... the Jackrabbits have won
30 of the last 33 meetings, including three of four as Division I rivals ... SDSU
has won 18 consecutive games against the Coyotes at Frost Arena ... South Dakota State
leads the Showdown Series, which is a year-long all-sports competition against
USD, 5-4 ... Eide reached the 20-point mark for the fourth time in five games ...
Waytashek and Eide each reached double figures for the 12th time
this season ... SDSU is 6-0 this season when leading at the half ... the
Jackrabbits have shot at least 48 percent from the field in all three Summit
League games this season ... Johnston has a career record of 301-104 (.743
winning percentage) in his 13 seasons at SDSU, including a 78-15 record in
Summit League games ... the Jackrabbits improved to 7-2 at Frost Arena this
season ... Waytashek was 6-for-6 at the free throw line, upping her season
percentage to a team-best 81 percent (47-of-58) ... SDSU committed 13 turnovers
compared to 16 by the Coyotes ... the Jackrabbits held a 17-10 advantage in bench
points, led by Katie Lingle's nine ... attendance was 3,045